And again it says: "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!"
Truth to Learn
Christians of all nationalities have reason to rejoice.
Behind the Words
“Rejoice” is translated from euphrainō, which is made up of eu, meaning “good or well” and a form of phren, meaning “the mind.” Thus, we can see the root meaning is to have a good state of mind. It means “to rejoice, make joy, or be glad.”
Meaning Explained
Paul’s instruction on this topic began back in Romans 14:1 with an admonition to accept into the church those who are weak in the faith but not for the purpose of arguing about minor spiritual issues. Most recently Paul has instructed us that we should be like-minded toward one another and we should not be picking petty faults; rather we should defer to others. In the end, he says that this will allow us, converted Jew and converted Gentile alike, to unite our hearts and voices in praise to our Heavenly Father.
After all, God the Father sent His only Son to demonstrate to the Jews that His promises are true, and to the Gentiles that He is a merciful God. And for this Jews and Gentiles alike should rejoice and praise God. In the previous verse Paul quoted from the Psalms to show that the Jews are to praise God among the Gentiles. The current verse is a quotation from Deuteronomy 32:43 showing that the Gentiles are to praise God along with the Jews. If you read through this 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy you will see that God is speaking about taking vengeance on His enemies and because of that he proclaims:
Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, and take vengeance on His edemies; He will provide atonement for His land and His people. (Deuteronomy 32:43)
Obviously God is taking vengeance on the enemies of both Israel and the church. This specific verse is a reference to the tribulation when God will rain down vengeance on those who reject His offer of mercy and salvation.
Incidentally, for those of you who think that our God is only a God of love, reading through the book of Revelation will show you that He is also a God of vengeance and wrath upon those who reject His offer of merciful love.
Also, note: some translations are very good about showing words that are not in the original text, which have been inserted by the translators (notice the gray italicized words in the Deuteronomy passage above). Usually the inclusion of these words enhances the meaning. Sometimes, however, it completely changes the message of the text. In the passage quoted above the word “with” is not in the original Hebrew text (though it is in Paul’s quotation of the Greek version of the Old Testament). Thus, it reads: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, His people.” We see from this that in the Old Testament there are places where, in addition to the Jews, Gentiles are declared to be God’s people.
Application
All Christians, no matter what our religious upbringing or national origin, should rejoice because of what God has done for us and because of the promises He gives us concerning our eternal destiny. Let us all rejoice and praise Him together!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved
